My cousin Jason was among the first troops into Kabul. His unit was the first into Baghdad. He served two tours in Falujah. The things he has witnessed I will likely never have the horror of knowing. Jason’s mother watched him live in combat on FOX news during the early stages of the war. I cannot fathom what she must have felt.

From my intellectual world in California, I vehemently disagree with our President’s foreign policies. He has alienated us from virtually the entire world community with an aggressive and short sighted policy that has committed our troops beyond resources in military actions that I believe are designed to promote America’s control over a limited oil supply. I believe the policies have promoted terrorism instead, by breeding hate, and supporting repressive governments merely because of their access to oil. I find it unjustifiable that we have 150,000 troops in Iraq, while the most troops we’ve ever committed to Afghanistan was 20,000, given that as a result we effectively allowed Bin Laden’s escape.

Jason’s perspective is that of a soldier. His job is not to second guess the foreign policies of the president who issued his orders. His job is to carry out those orders. I am certain he has done so with judgment, heroism, and honor. I have nothing but respect for what he has done, and how he has done it. He is America’s finest. Yet I resent the policies that sent him there. He is one of the lucky ones. He came home. Repeatedly. Thousands of his peers have not. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in another country have not. And the mastermind of 9-11 has gone free.

How we as individuals interpret these matters is extremely complex and difficult. It is colored by our personal experiences, our relatives’ experiences, and the lives we know that have been touched by it. The only generalizations of which I am certain are: 1) the president does not care what a majority of the Davis City Council has to say about it; and 2) no matter what the council resolves, a large segment of our community would be hurt. Needlessly dividing our community on a matter over which we have no meaningful control is not acceptable. The Council’s role is to bring us together, not divide us.

As a Council Member I will endeavor to remain sensitive to all segments of our community, and avoid entertaining “politically correct” advisory resolutions that have no real effect, especially when dividing the community is the likely result. I welcome your comments and perspective on this.